A poll conducted by the Institute for Political Research Skopje (IPIS), for Republika, shows deep dissatisfaction with the current Government and its performance in the economy, in fighting the pandemic, the judiciary, education and from its high corruption levels. A key question – whether the Government should remain or be replaced saw 49 percent of the voters opt for a new Government and 30 percent believe that the Government should remain in place, with 20.9 percent of the voters undecided. 50.2 percent said that Macedonia is moving in the wrong direction, while only 30 percent believe that it is moving in the right direction, again with 19.7 percent undecided.

The poll shows that the majority of voters would turn out to vote if general elections are held tomorrow. Of the 1,089 citizens polled, 512 (47 percent) said that they would certainly vote, 11.8 percent said that they would likely vote, and 10.3 percent were hesitant. Some 11.5 percent said that they will definitely not vote.

Issues that will drive the voters on the polls include the economy and living standards. When asked what is their main problem that needs to be resolved urgently, a very high share of 56.2 percent said that it is the economy, unemployment and the low salaries and retirement incomes. This is followed by the Covid crisis (8.8 percent) and the crime, corruption and nepotism (6.3 percent). A total of 42.7 percent said that they are highly dissatisfied with the handling of the economy by the Government, and 12.3 percent said that they are somewhat dissatisfied. Only 14.8 percent answered that they are fully satisfied with the stewardship of the economy and 16 percent are somewhat satisfied.

35 percent of those polled said that they are completely dissatisfied with the way in which the Government handles the coronavirus pandemic and additional 13.5 percent said that they are somewhat dissatisfied. On the other end, 20.8 percent are somewhat satisfied and 17.7 percent are completely satisfied.

In terms of fighting crime and corruption, 48 percent said they are absolutely dissatisfied with the performance of the Government in this regard, and 10.8 percent said they are somewhat dissatisfied. The percentage of fully satisfied voters is in single digits – 9.8 percent, and 13.1 percent said they are somewhat satisfied. Similar numbers were seen in the reforming of the judiciary. The share of fully dissatisfied citizens is 42.1 percent and 12.9 percent are somewhat dissatisfied, while 14 percent are fully satisfied and 11.8 are somewhat satisfied.

Regarding the census, opinions are divided – 24.6 percent are fully dissatisfied with how it was conducted and 10.8 are somewhat dissatisfied, while 25.2 percent are fully satisfied with the Government’s performance there and 21.1 are somewhat satisfied.
On the thorny issue of education reforms, the ratio again swings heavily against the Government – 40.9 percent fully oppose their reforms and 10.3 percent somewhat oppose it, while 14.8 percent are in full agreement with the Government and 15.1 percent are in moderate agreement. 19 percent would not answer or said they are not sure.

The poll was conducted by IPIS between October 18 and October 20 2021. It was commissioned by DNID Prva Republika DOO Skopje. A total of 1,089 citizens were polled, in a random sample stratified to represent the population of the Republic of Macedonia. The margin of error is estimated at +-3 percent, and the trust interval is estimated at 95 percent.